About Johns Hopkins Institute for Education PolicyInstitute for Education PolicyIEP_7538aaec-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea00Johns Hopkins University School of EducationLocated at one of the nation’s premiere research universities and housed within its top-ranked school of education, the Institute has direct access to leading national and international scholars.BaltimoreAt the same time, located in Baltimore, the Institute shares a home with an urban public school system that embodies many of the deepest challenges facing American education. We exist to bridge the gap between outstanding research and urgent need.America’s StudentsEducational Professional CommunitiesThree individuals in three professional communities, three sets of concerns expressed in three languages. A common goal unites them: to help America’s school children reach their full potential.TeachersOn any given Monday morning, a teacher reads through the day's lesson plans one last time and considers the demands ahead.State Education CommissionersA state education commissioner studies her schedule and contemplates the meetings to be attended, the regulations to be readied.ResearchersThe researcher prepares his fitted logistical regression models for publication. PolicymakersBy delivering the strongest evidence to the policymakers who set the course and the practitioners who teach and lead, we hope to serve the American children who enter our classrooms every day.Institute for Education Policy TeamDr. David SteinerExecutive Director ~ David Steiner is Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Professor of Education at Johns Hopkins University. In 2020, he finished serving as a member of the Maryland State Board of Education and the Maryland Commission for Innovation and Excellence in Education. He currently serves on the boards of Core Knowledge Foundation, and Relay Graduate School of Education. Most recently, he was appointed to the Practitioner Council at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He previously served on the board of Urban Teachers as well. He also served as Commissioner of Education for New York State, as the Klara and Larry Silverstein Dean at the Hunter College School of Education, and as Director of Education at the National Endowment for the Arts.^^As NYS Commissioner, Dr. Steiner took a lead role in the State’s successful $700 million Race to the Top application to support the redesign of state standards, assessments, and teacher certification requirements. His insistence on including major funding for curricula in that grant led to the launch of EngageNY, the nation’s most consulted on-line curriculum resource. Dr. Steiner consults regularly with the federal government, state education leaders, educational reform organizations, and universities. He has addressed audiences on both side of the Atlantic, and authored books, book chapters, and more than fifty articles. He holds degrees from Balliol College, Oxford University (B.A. and M.A.), and Harvard University (Ph.D. in political science)Dr. Ashley BernerDirector ~ Ashley Berner is Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Associate Professor of Education. She served previously as the Deputy Director of the CUNY Institute for Education Policy and as an administrator at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia. Palgrave MacMillan released Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School (2017), and Dr. Berner has published articles, book chapters, and op-eds on citizenship formation, academic outcomes, pluralism, and the political theories of education in different national contexts. She led the design of the Institute’s School Culture 360™ and ELA and Social Studies Knowledge Maps™. Her earlier teaching experience took place in a Jewish pre-school, an Episcopal secondary school, and an open university in Louisiana; she currently advises doctoral students and teaches in the master’s program at Johns Hopkins University.^^Dr. Berner represents the Institute’s work across the country and consults regularly with international, federal, and state-level agencies, non-governmental organizations, and school systems. She held a five-year fellowship at the Center for the Study of Law & Religion at Emory University School of Law and currently serves as an advisor to iCivics, the Educating for American Democracy project, and the Heterodox Academy.^^Dr. Berner holds degrees from Davidson College (Honors A.B.) and from Oxford University (M.Litt. and D.Phil. in Modern History).Dr. Alanna BjorklundDirector of Research and Assistant Professor ~ Alanna Bjorklund is the Director of Research at the Institute. She previously served as a Research Fellow and completed her Ph.D. in economics at Johns Hopkins with a dissertation examining the teaching skills and practices associated with more effective teachers. Dr. Bjorklund specializes in the economics of education and has prior experience as a classroom instructor with membership in NYCDOE's Office of Teacher Effectiveness. She holds an M.A. in economics from Johns Hopkins University, an M.S. from City College of New York, and a B.A. in international studies from the University of Washington/Seattle.Dr. Angela R. WatsonSenior Research Fellow and Assistant Professor ~ Angela R. Watson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute. She earned her doctorate in education policy from the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform in May 2019. Her dissertation examined the value of arts field trips on student social-emotional skill acquisition as well as the relationship between policy and access. She is a co-researcher at the National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab, also at the University of Arkansas. Angela also holds an MAT from Harding University and a B.A. in elementary education and a graduate certificate in STEM education from the University of Arkansas. Angela's other research interests include gender gaps and school choice with a focus on homeschooling.Dr. Anika PratherDirector ~ Anika T. Prather is the Director of High-Quality Curriculum and Instruction at the Institute, and has served in public and private schools for over 20 years. She is the founder of  The Living Water School, a unique Christian school for independent learners, based on the educational philosophies of Classical Education and the Sudbury Model. Dr. Prather also teaches in the English department at Howard University where her classes focus on the Black Classical Tradition. She has published two books on her journey to bringing classical education to the Black community: Living in the Constellation of the Canon (self-published) and The Black Intellectual Tradition (co-authored with Dr. Angel Parham with Classical Academic Press). Dr. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education, and graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University. She has a Masters in liberal arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a Ph.D. in English, Theatre, and Literacy Education from the University of Maryland (College Park).Dr. Kecia L. McCoyProgram Manager ~ Kecia McCoy is a Program Manager for School Culture 360™, a survey resource developed by the Institute based on national and international research. In this role, she provides outreach to new partner districts and states; educates interested parties about the value and importance of this unique tool; manages the process of fielding the survey; and coordinates with the Institute’s research team to study long-term effects and trend lines.^^Kecia has designed and led virtual education initiatives in higher education; she comes most recently from Western Governors University, where she managed social and emotional learning programs. Kecia holds an A.A. in business administration from Baltimore City Community College, a B.A. in English from the College of Notre Dame, an M.A. in adult education and distance learning from the University of Phoenix, and a Ph.D. in professional studies in education from Capella University. She is a Maryland native and enjoys attending music and cultural events.Dr. Carol MacedoniaSenior Research Fellow ~ Carol Macedonia is a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Education Policy. She works primarily with private schools in Florida and leads outreach about the need for a strong curriculum and coherent culture.^^Carol has committed her professional life to the teaching and learning of both children and adults. For the past nine years, she served as Vice President in the Office of Student Learning with Step Up For Students, the nations’ largest tax credit scholarship program with over 150, 000 students receiving scholarships for private school tuition. Carol led a team of highly qualified educators who oversaw the development of work systems that assisted both schools and families in establishing and maintaining structures, conditions, and processes to sustain collaborative partnerships that ensured children's academic, social, and emotional success.^^Prior to joining the Step Up For Students team, Carol spent over 35 years in public school education in teaching, administrative, and professorial roles. She co-authored and published A District wide Approach to Staff and Student Learning. Carol received her B.A. from the University of Florida and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. Amy FullerKnowledge Map™ Program Manager ~ Amy Fuller is the Knowledge Map™ Manager for the Institute. She brings more than 20 years of experience in teaching grades K – 12, mostly in the humanities, and has worked in public, charter, and private schools. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked specifically with schools and companies analyzing, and also developing, curricular materials aligned to high-quality rubrics, standards alignment, and assessments. She holds an M.S. in instructional technology from Towson University and a B.A. in history from Loyola University with a minor in secondary education. As the Knowledge Map™ Program Manager, Ms. Fuller has substantially expanded the reach and depth of the Institute’s curriculum work. Al PassarellaResearch Analyst ~ Al Passarella comes to the Institute from The Annie E Casey Foundation, where he worked with the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. Al has previously served as Director of Data Analysis for Baltimore’s Promise and as Research Director for Advocates for Children and Youth. Prior to coming to Maryland, Al worked as Senior Research Associate at Education Law Center in Newark, NJ; specializing in equitable education funding for low-income school districts. Al is a graduate of William Paterson University (B.A. in political science) and the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University- Newark (M.P.A. in public administration).Stacey HardinCommunications Manager ~ Stacey Hardin serves as Communications Manager for the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy. In this role, she is responsible for messaging to outside audiences. Prior to working at the Institute, Stacey held marketing positions with Kraft, Novartis, and Communities in Schools of Atlanta. Stacey earned a B.A. in business administration from Gettysburg College and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University.Helen ThorntonGrants and Contracts Analyst ~ Prior to joining the Institute for Education Policy, Helen worked in the Johns Hopkins School of Education's business office for almost 20 years. She most recently held the position of Research Services Analyst and was responsible for processing and managing grants for the Center for Technology and the Public Safety and Leadership Center. Helen's extensive knowledge of financial systems will be an asset to the Institute.Dr. Crystal SpringPostdoctoral Fellow ~ Crystal Spring holds a postdoctoral fellowship, sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation, to optimize the School Culture 360™ survey and conduct research with its data. She received her Ph.D. in Education from Johns Hopkins University with a dissertation project that created and validated a survey measuring motivation in class discussion and connected motivation in class discussion to academic achievement. Her prior work includes serving as an Assistant Director at the University of Notre Dame’s Writing Center and teaching middle school English language arts. She received her M.Ed. in Secondary Education, M.A. in English, and B.A. in Sociology and English from the University of Notre Dame.Karena PaleologoResearch Assistant ~ Karena Paleologo is a Research Assistant at the Institute. She is also currently working on her M.S. in Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, she taught middle school science for nine years in Massachusetts and New Jersey. She holds an M.A.T. in Secondary Science Education from Simmons College and a B.A. in Biological Science from Wellesley College.Sherry RichburgAdministrative Research Coordinator ~ Sherry Richburg is the Administrative Research Coordinator for the Institute for Education Policy. Prior to her position with the Institute, Sherry served as the Administrative Coordinator for the School of Education's Assessment, Accreditation, and Technology program. Sherry received an associate degree in business management from Kaplan University and received a certificate for finance management from the Carey Business School.Miriam MerinResearch Fellow ~ Miriam Merin is a Research Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy. In addition to her research and writing for the Institute, Miriam is an associate psychotherapist in Northern Virginia and an incoming Ph.D. student in Counseling & Psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her academic and clinical interests focus on the intersection of student mental health and success. Miriam earned her B.A. in Education History & Policy at Brown University, her M.Sc. in Higher Education from the University of Oxford, and her M.S.W. in Mental Health from the Brown School at Washington University in Saint Louis.Institute for Education Policy PartnersJoin us in our endeavor to integrate these worlds. We believe that building partnerships across these different constituencies is necessary to advance excellence and equity for all of America’s children. The Institute operates on the understanding that education policy must be informed both by real-world conditions and also by excellent research; that it is possible to translate the technical vocabularies of research into a language that is accessible and useful to policy experts, principals, teachers and parents; that in our richly diverse nation, education must be driven and sustained by evidence about what works and what does not.^^We are privileged to work with the following fine organizations:Abell FoundationThe Achelis & Bodman FoundationAdams 12 Five Star SchoolsAlaska Department of Education and Early DevelopmentAlliance for Excellent EducationAmerica AchievesAmplifyArchdiocese of BaltimoreBaltimore City Public SchoolsBaltimore's PromiseBill & Melinda Gates FoundationBoulder Valley School DistrictCalvin Christian SchoolCatholic Diocese of St. PetersburgCCSSOCharles and Lynn Schusterman Family PhilanthropiesCharles Koch FoundationChiefs for ChangeChristian Schools InternationalCouncil of Islamic Schools in North AmericaCurriculum AssociatesDeans for ImpactDiocese of OrlandoDistrict of Columbia Public SchoolsEdChoiceEverett Public SchoolsFlorida Conference of Seventh-Day AdventistsFlorida Education FoundationFund for Educational ExcellenceGlobalED FoundationGreat MindsHunter College at CUNY - View Archived ContentJeffco Public SchoolsKent Denver SchoolLaFourche ParishLearning FirstLiFT Louisiana Department of EducationLouisiana State University Laboratory SchoolMaine Curriculum Leaders AssociationMargolies Family FoundationMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMethuen Public SchoolsNebraska Department of EducationNew Bedford Public SchoolsNWEAOpen Society Institute - BaltimoreOverdeck Family FoundationPartnership SchoolsPathway 2 TomorrowPointe Coupee Public SchoolsRandolph Christian SchoolRed River Parish Public SchoolsRelay Graduate School of EducationSchmidt FuturesSchool District of PhiladelphiaSchool in the SquareScience of Learning InstituteSNF Agora InstituteSouthern Education FoundationStep Up for StudentsTennessee Department of EducationTexas Education AgencyThe Kern Family FoundationThe Louis Calder FoundationThe Opportunity TrustThe School District of Palm Beach CountyThe Sumners FoundationUplift EducationUNESCOWalton Family FoundationWilliam T. Grant FoundationYouth EntrepreneursEducational excellence for all of America’s students_7538afec-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea00To integrate the domains of research, policy, and practice to achieve educational excellence_7538b0dc-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea00EducationExcellenceAchievement GapsTranslate research on what narrows America’s persistent achievement gaps to those on the front lines of policy and practice_7538b1a4-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea00ChildrenThe Institute is committed to translating research on what narrows America’s persistent achievement gaps to those on the front lines of policy and practice.Specifically, we connect research to the policies and practices that will ensure all children have access to:CurriculaEnsure all children have access to deep and intellectually challenging curricula_7538b276-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea001EducatorsEnsure all children have access to highly-effective educators_7538b33e-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea002EducatorsNeedsEnsure all children have access to schools models that meet students’ diverse needs_7538b3f2-51ac-11ed-8f06-cfe43083ea003Schools2022-10-22https://edpolicy.education.jhu.edu/about/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net